Computers and other computerized devices often employ boards (e.g., printed circuit boards), cards and other support structures on which are implemented various electrical devices and circuitry such as microprocessors, programmable logic devices (PLDs), and discrete circuit components. Often these support structures are intended to be modular such that the structures can be removed, replaced and/or added in relation to one another and/or other parts of a given computerized device. Typically, support structures of this type include connectors that are capable of being coupled to complementary connectors of other support structures or devices so that electrical connections can be established, and that at the same time facilitate (or at least permit) the repeated coupling and decoupling of the support structures to and from one another. Many conventional boards (or cards) are designed to be coupled to one another in a perpendicular manner. That is, conventional boards are often designed so that, when a first board is coupled to a second board, an edge of the first board is positioned adjacent to a substantially planar surface of the second board and the first board extends substantially normally outward from the substantially planar surface of the second board. Additionally, to establish electrical connections between the boards, the boards typically have or operate in conjunction with complementary connection components that interface one another when the boards are coupled to one another. For example, in some embodiments, connector pins extending normally from the planar surface of the second board can interface complementary electrical sockets associated with the first board. Also, in some embodiments, this can also be accomplished with a connector style in which the add-in board has electrical contacts etched onto its surface and the connector on the mating board has conductors that mate to these contacts.
The assembly of boards in this perpendicular manner is common because it satisfies various design goals, for example, the enhancement of heat dissipation from the boards. Yet the assembly of boards in this manner also leads to complications in terms of the process of assembling the boards. Given the design of typical electrical connection components such as those mentioned above, the assembly of boards in this perpendicular manner naturally calls for movement of the first board in a direction that is normal to the surface of the second board so that pins can proceed into complementary sockets. Yet, movement of a first board in a direction that is normal to the surface of a second board is sometimes unwieldy and impractical in the context of assembling boards on a computerized device. Indeed, if such movement is required in order to assemble boards together, it often becomes necessary that all of the boards be entirely removed from a supportive chassis of the computerized device before the assembly process can take place.
Given these complications, efforts have been made to develop boards and/or connection components that would allow for a first board to be assembled to a second board in a manner that did not involve as much normal motion of the first board relative to the surface of the second board. These efforts have yielded boards and/or connection components in which assembly of the first and second boards is accomplished by first moving the first board in relation to the second board along the surface of the second board (rather than normally toward the surface of the second board), where the first board is sufficiently far apart from the second board such that any connectors such as pins/sockets are not yet in contact with one another, followed by moving the first board slightly in a direction toward the surface of the second board so that contact among the connectors then is established. In such mechanisms, initial movement of the first board along the surface of the second board occurs without being accompanied by interaction of the connectors, so as to avoid possible damage to the connectors that might otherwise occur over time due to friction as the boards are repeatedly assembled and disassembled.
For example, in one such mechanism, the first board is slid inward relative to the second board until the respective connectors on the first and second boards are generally aligned with one another. A hinged connection is then established between the inner corner of the first board and the second board. Subsequently, the first board is rotated toward the surface of the second board until the connectors associated with the two boards are coupled. Further for example, in another such mechanism, the first board is slid inward relative to the second board until the respective connectors are aligned, and then the two boards are compressed together by way of a lever or handle to couple the connectors. In yet another mechanism, a special subchassis is added between the boards to facilitate the desired motion of the first board along the surface of the second board.
Although conventional mechanisms of the above types allow for a first board to be connected to a second board in a manner that does not involve a significant degree of normal movement of the first board relative to the surface of the second board, all of these conventional mechanisms require significant numbers of complicated components to achieve their intended manners of operation. Additionally, in the embodiments where levers/handles are used, the physical feedback provided to a user performing the installation procedure is limited. Further, in the embodiments where the first board is rotated in relation to the second board, the number and positioning of the connectors must be restricted near the hinge since the rotational movement could otherwise place significant frictional stress upon connectors located near the hinge. Additionally, these previous methods also typically depend upon a multiplicity of motions being imparted by users in order to fully engage the cards, which can lead to both confusion and incomplete card installation.
For at least these reasons, it would be advantageous if an improved apparatus and method for assembling together support structures such as boards and cards used in computerized devices could be developed. More particularly, it would be advantageous if in at least some embodiments the improved apparatus and method in at least some embodiments allowed for the assembly of such support structures in a manner that involved only limited amounts of normal movement of one structure relative to a surface of another structure. Additionally, it would be advantageous if in at least some embodiments the improved apparatus and method involved less complicated components than those employed in the above-described conventional mechanisms involving hinges, levers, handles, or sub-chassis. Further, it would be advantageous if in at least some embodiments the improved apparatus and method achieved assembly of the support structures in a manner that did not result in significant frictional stress being placed on the connectors used to establish electrical connections among the support structures. Also, it would be advantageous if, in at least some embodiments of the improved apparatus and method, the movement(s) required to be imparted by users in assembling the support structures were simpler than those typically performed in assembling conventional mechanisms.